Finding Friends
by YouGotBurned
Summary: Four years have pass since their high school graduation. Three since the accident. Two since they all stopped trying to be friends. Now, they are all back in the same town for a congratulatory party for a once beloved teacher. After being forced in the same room together for a whole evening, will these strangers become friends again?
1. Chapter 1

**Four years have passed since their high school graduation. Three since the accident. Two since they all stopped trying to be friends. Now, they are all back in the same town for a congratulatory party for a once beloved teacher. After being forced in the same room together for a whole evening, will these strangers become friends again?**

* * *

Maya had to cut the buttonhole before the button would finally go through. The dress she had picked out for the occasion was old and a bit too small and even though Shawn had offered to buy her a new one, she had refused. The dress might be old, but it had helped her through some of the most crucial days of her life. It was dark navy and fitted down to her mid-thigh. As she looked in the mirror to make sure the fit was right, she glanced to the small picture in the corner. She was wearing this same dress except paired with the black graduation gown. Riley was there in the picture too, of course, and she stood out more because of her layers of medals and cords.

Maya looked away and grabbed for her heels and clutch. She double checked to see if her apartment key was in there before hurrying out the door. The party started in half an hour and she still had to get downtown. She waved down a taxi which took even longer than she was accustomed to. While she waited, she slipped on her shoes, checked her makeup in her hand-held mirror and then scrolled through Instagram, searching for any signs if anyone else has arrived at the party yet. She hadn't wanted to be earlier for this exact reason. Seeing people you haven't spoken to in two years that you used to be best friends with wasn't something Maya Hunter really wanted to do. She would've preferred that her past remained in the past.

But it was a party to honor Cory Matthews promotion and she couldn't miss that. He had been like the father she never had, even now he acted like that. She would go. She would eat. Cory would give her a couple of twenties to get her through to the next week while she used her own money for art supplies. She would eat again. She would go home. She wouldn't have to speak to any of them if they didn't speak to her first.

The taxi finally pulled up in front of her and she quickly jumped inside, "the convention center downtown," she told the driver.

"No problem. I just came back from dropping off a man there, so I know traffic isn't bad."

"Thank you," Maya said, ignoring the rising clump in her throat. She probably knew that man.

The driver glanced at her in his rearview mirror. "Aren't you M.H? The girl who painted the mural in the park?"

She shot up from her seat. "Yes…" She had painted that her freshamn year of highschool. How could anyone remember that?

He shook his head frantically. "No, no I'm not trying to be weird. I just remember seeing you on the news talking about it. I thought to myself, "This girl's going to be famous one day soon" and then I told my wife the same thing. I've seen a few of your pictures hanging in the indie museum on 5th. My daughter loves them!"

Maya smiled and thanked the driver, but truthfully, not everyone thought her paintings were that great, revolutionary, inspirational. Most of the ones she did sale would end up in the bedrooms of fancy hotels where people would joke about stealing it, but never actually do or in the bathrooms of restaurants where people only look at them until they wipe and leave. She had hope though that one day she would make it big.

The rest of the cab ride was filled with questions for Maya about her different paintings and her inspirations behind them all. Why were they all mostly purple and blue? Why did the word "hope" appear someone in them? Maya tried to answer the best she could, but she really didn't know the answers herself. She did this because they belonged. She used purples and blues because every other color she tried never would look quite right. She used "hope" because it was the only word that meant anything to her anymore.

He stopped talking just as they pulled in front of the convention center. To her relief, there seemed to be several parties going on that night, including a high school dance, so her footsteps sneaking out wouldn't make that much noise. Maya paid the cab driver, thanked him again for liking her paintings, and then walked to one of the pairs of glass double doors. They automatically slide open for her and with a deep breath, she stepped through.

He was the first thing she saw. Just as ridiculously tall, still wearing those stupid cowboy boots, and just as handsome as he was the day he moved. She turned left before he had noticed her entering. She pushed through a line of girls in prom dresses, not caring that she had interrupted their picture, and went to the bathroom. There was a few more girls in there, but they quickly left in order to get back out onto the dance floor. She placed both hands on the counter to steady herself. Seeing him was a lot harder than she thought it would be and he was just Lucas. What would happen when she saw the others?

What about Farkle?

He still thought that accident was her fault and he would blame her forever. That was what they all had wanted, to put the blame on someone else. Farkle blamed Maya. Lucas blamed Isadora. Isadora blamed Zay. Maya blamed Farkle. Zay blamed Riley. Riley… she could never blame anyone. That was why they all had to stop trying to be friends afterwards. In the end, they couldn't forget… so, how will she get through this night?

She looked at the clock again and new she would have to suck it up and get to the party. If she missed the toast, she'd be assassinated by the whole Matthews family. Besides, hiding the bathroom like a coward was also not the Maya Hunter way. So, she straightened her shoulders and walked out of the bathroom and down the hall. Lucas had gone inside and the only other person out in the hall was Auggie.

"Hey, Maya," he said. "Dad told me to wait out here for you."

Maya smiled, "of course he did."

"Ready to go in?"

"Yeah."

She took his arm that he offered her and let him open the door. The inside of the small ballroom had tall ceilings and white pillars lined the walls. Topanga had outdone herself with the decorations. They had entered just in time to here the first of many speeches for that night. Mr. Feeny took the microphone and cleared his voice while Auggie showed Maya to her seat next to himself and across from Topanga and Cory. She played with the ring on her finger to distract her.

"I've known Cory Matthews for a very _very_ long time…"

Maya glanced around the room and it wasn't long before her eyes landed on Lucas again. He was sitting next to Zay, whispering something in the other boy's ear. She then looked around the other side of the room. Isadora sat in the corner, a young man she didn't know had his arm wrapped loosely around her shoulders. Maya had to smile a little at that. Farkle was nowhere to be seen. _Good_ , she thought, ignoring the part of her that felt a little sad at his absence.

The speeches went on and on and on. Eric spoke, Shawn spoke, Mr. Turner spoke, His parents spoke and it seemed like the night would be nothing but until after Topanga spoke, leaving the crowd in tears, and saying that dinner will begin to be served. They had grilled chicken with shrimp and rolls.

"Why were you late?" Topanga asked when she finally managed to come sit down again. "I almost send Auggie to your apartment."

Maya shrugged, "I overslept."

Topanga knew that was a lie, obviously, and Maya could tell she was about to get scolded for it, but then the doors opened again, all eyes turned towards it, and Farkle Minkus walked in… alone.


	2. Chapter 2

Farkle was very aware that he was running late, but he had figured that everyone would be too busy celebrating to notice his entrance. He was wrong. It was like the world had stopped, time had frozen. And when he let the doors close behind him, time ran again and everyone went back to what they were doing. Everyone except Maya.

She was challenging him, "look away, I dare you."

He didn't look away. Not while he walked across the ballroom, not when he stopped in front of their table, not when he leaned down and shook hands with Mr. and Mrs. Matthew's before extending his hand to Maya's. She didn't look it, but that must've surprised her because it took her a second to extend her own hand. "Maya," he said.

"Farkle." Her voice was low and icy as she said his name. She still blamed him for that night.

"I saw one of your paintings at my hotel. You've done well."

"Yeah, it's every artist's dream to sale their work to hotels for only thirty a painting. Still in school, right?"

"I'm graduating with my Bachelor's in a month." Right on time. It would've been earlier if he had skipped his last year of high school and went ahead to college. He didn't because of his friends, because of Riley. He didn't know that a year after graduation everything would change. "I'll start grad school in the fall."

"Good for you," she said with a clear finality.

He nodded and stepped away to find his own table. The only empty one was next to Lucas and Zay because of course it was. If Farkle held any belief that the universe could actually decide where people ended up, instants like tonight would give him plenty of enough evidence to support it. He sat down in his chair and a waiter placed a plate of food in front of him.

Zay was the first to speak, "Hey, Farkle, long time."

Farkle felt the tension in every word Zay had spoken. They were all being forced to remember something they all wanted to forget. That's why they had to stop being friends. That one accident had erased years of good memories. "Is everyone here?"

Zay nodded. "Smackle changed seats when she got here, but she's still here." Zay pointed towards the other side of the room where Isadora Smackle sat with some man. Smackle had been his first-second-love. They broke up their junior year because Smackle actually did leave and go to college. He didn't stop her from leaving and they kept in close contact up until the incident. Even when he started dating Riley after graduation, Farkle and Smackle remained a duo. He actually did still talk to her from time to time, but nothing like before.

Zay and Farkle continued to make small talk while Lucas remained silent, picking at his peas and occasionally looking past Farkle's shoulders. While Zay was the same charismatic, talkative guy he had been ever since Farkle had met him, Lucas had changed a lot in the two years they had seen each other. He _looked_ like Lucas, but he didn't act like him. It was almost as if he had went back to the Lucas he was before moving from Texas, hot-headed cowboy Lucas. Farkle could only come to this conclusion on his facial expressions and body language since he never said a word.

The meal ended and Mr. Matthews' took the microphone. "Thank you all for coming to celebrate my promotion. I'm thankful and blessed for all the love and support you have shown me. I wouldn't be where I am today without all of you. I hope to find at all the schools in the school district what I found at John Quincy Adams." He raised his glass. "To students new and old and to best of luck on my journey as the new superintendent."

Everyone cheered and the music started. They could leave for the night or they could stay and dance a while and because he had already been late, Farkle was really left with no other choice. Zay was instantly on the dance floor and Lucas gathered his stuff to leave. Farkle turned in his seat so he had a view of the whole ballroom. Smackle was speaking lowly to the man, making him laugh. Maya was holding a hand out to Auggie for a dance.

It was a sad sight to Farkle, seeing this once close group of friends acting like they had never been what they were. This wasn't what was supposed to happen, but if life played out the way it was supposed to, Riley would still be here and Farkle wouldn't be sitting alone. There was nothing about the world that couldn't be controlled, Farkle believed that, and each one of them, Maya, Smackle, Zay, Lucas, and Farkle each had a roll in what had happened that night. Any of them could've stopped it.


	3. Chapter 3

_Zay remembered the pitter-patter of Riley's shoe-less feet when she followed him out into the rain that night. He had left after a fight with Smackle, something about the difference or connection between ribosomes and DNA. Thinking back, it actually didn't matter, but it did kick start what they referred to as "the incident." It put the rest of that night into motion._

 _They had crossed the street and walked to the stop sign before her pleading for him to stop finally worked. He halted and turned to her. She was soaking wet even though she held an umbrella in her hand. "Open the umbrella."_

" _Look, you can't just leave when you're mad at a friend. You have to talk it out or it'll simmer until BOOM! Bye bye friendship." She said, reaching out and touching his arm._

 _He just shook his head. "You're so dramatic. It'll be fine. I just want to go home."_

" _No, come back inside."_

" _Bye, Riley." Zay moved his arm away from her and crossed the street._

 _She followed him._

* * *

That was what he was thinking about the whole time he was dancing. The sound of the dancers feet hitting the floor reminding him of Riley's in the rain that night. It was true that Zay blamed Riley. He blamed her because she followed him instead of going back inside like she was supposed to. If she had, she'd still be here with them. The past few years would've been completely different. At least, he kept reminding himself that he blamed Riley. Blaming her was easier than blaming himself.

His feet froze. Now, he couldn't stand the sound of footsteps that weren't his own. He caught Lucas by the arm when he passed by on his way out. "Wait for me. I'm leaving too."

"I'll be outside," he said.

Zay went to the table and gathered his things. It wasn't much, a wallet and a set of keys that were useless since he ended up taking a taxi here instead. Zay had decided to stay close to New York and go to NYU to study law and become a defense attorney while Luca moved back to Texas and become a veterinarian. They both had taken a year off after the incident, but both were now back on track and making great grades. Life was moving on for them.

"It was good to see you again, Farkle," Zay said.

"You too," Farkle said.

Zay left and nodded at both Maya and Smackle on the way out. Outside the ballroom, Lucas was waiting, leaned against the wall. Zay didn't know what was wrong with Lucas tonight. He knew it was the ideal situation, but Lucas was usually pretty cool under bad situations. Something had rattled his nerves big time.

It wasn't until he left the ballroom that he could hear the rain.

"Hey," Zay said.

"You ready?"

"Yeah, let's get out of here. Pizza and drinks at my house? I got some margarita mix somewhere. My roommates are on the verge of being alcoholics, so I have to hide it."

Lucas smiled the first one he had all night. "Sounds great." Zay's heart thumped. The sooner Lucas got away from this the better.

The rain had picked up and now pouring so hard even the people from inside the ballroom where noticing. Maya had come out and was holding her hand out in the rain. Zay could see Lucas tense up. Farkle was still inside, but he was watching the rain too. Smackle was alone this time and standing on the other side of Lucas, hugging her arms to her chest. They were all there watching the rain together.

And then they left. Just like that. Without a single word. Riley had been right that night. If you let an argument between friends simmer too long, it blows up and then there's no more friendship. They tried for a year to continue on and act like they didn't all blame each other for what had happened. They ignored it and let it build, and build, and build until one day, it overflowed. The things they said to each other that night… they could never be taken back. Zay didn't think they could ever be forgiven either.

Zay had just stepped out into the rain when everyone's phones started going off.


	4. Chapter 4

_Farkle got into the driver's seat. Maya pushed past Lucas to the passenger's seat, so Lucas had to squeeze into the small backseat. Smackle stayed behind. They had rented the car the day before to use to go to Pennsylvania to visit Riley's grandparents for the weekend. It was the start of summer. Lucas was back from Texas for the first time since Christmas, so the trip seemed like a must at the time._

 _Maya started playing some kind of Indie band that had performed at the bar she worked at part time and Lucas watched her. It was no secret that their feelings for each other had only grown in the years since his mutual break up with Riley, before then if he was being honest. They had talked about being together graduation night, but they had both agreed that long distance wouldn't work for them. Maya still had things to do in New York and he was needed back in Texas._

 _But he missed her, so that night he was going to ask again, try to find a solution that meant they could be together. He had finally gotten the courage too when Zay and Smackle started their fight. It was a stupid fight, but those two didn't discuss anything calmly. Zay had stormed out; Riley followed him, so they all, except Smackle, did too. By time they got outside, they were both gone and Zay had texted Lucas to go look for her. It was storming and Riley already had trouble seeing at night._

 _They pulled out of the parking spot. There was never much traffic in this part of town, especially at night._

" _Turn that off. I'm trying to concentrate," Farkle said._

 _Maya just stuck out her tongue and turned it up. "You're fine."_

" _If I wreck, it's your fault."_

" _If you wreck, it's your own fault because I offered to drive and you refused."_

" _I'm the better driver!"_

" _Then you won't wreck even with my music."_

 _Farkle huffed, but let the argument drop. Lucas was grateful. All their nerves were already shot and so the last thing they needed was another fight. They traveled down the street and the rain just kept coming down harder. The wipers were going on full speed and despite having the headlights on, Lucas knew Farkle was having a hard time seeing._

 _They hadn't gone far in the direction Zay had said he went in when all their phones went off with tornado watch alert. Maya's was especially loud having been plugged into the radio and already on full volume. The sound made them all jump, making Farkle swerve off the road and onto what seemed to be the sidewalk. They didn't know they had hit her until after the rain had stopped._

* * *

Maya, Farkle, and Lucas jumped back when the alerts went off. Another night. Another storm. Lucas had to keep reminding himself that it was a different time. Years had passed, but he still felt just as guilty as he did that night. No one had blamed him for it. He had just happened to be in the car, but he still felt the guilt just like all of them probably did too.

He turned to Maya. She was frozen in place, her eyes glued to the wall in front of her. The alert on her phone still going off. He walked over and reached into her purse, grabbing her phone and shutting it off. She didn't move, but she did whisper, "thank you."

Cory and Topanga came out and urged them all to come back inside. They wouldn't allow anyone to leave until the storm had calmed down. They all followed them inside like zombies.

The lights in the ballroom flickered on and off and everyone sat along the innermost wall. A lot of people had already left before the alerts went off. The matthews and their family, Lucas, Maya, Farkle, Zay, Smackle and the man with her, and a few more old students remained. Lucas found himself sitting between Maya and Zay then it was Farkle and Smackle. They didn't speak to each other while they sat and waited.

He wanted to speak with them. He did, but he didn't know what to say. There was so much, especially to Maya, but the words wouldn't come. Maybe, once friends stopped being friends, that was it. No going back to how things were, despite wanting to so badly. People grow and change. Lucas knew there was a possibility that even if Riley were still here, that they would be in the same situation. Friendships don't always last forever. They had all just fooled themselves into thinking theirs could.

He didn't want to believe that this was it though. He had spent the entire night avoiding talking to any of them because he didn't want to mess everything up even more. But he had to get past this. That's what Riley would've wanted. So, after a deep breath, in and out. He patted Maya on the shoulder. She took out one of her headphones and he said, "hey."

It took a minute, but finally, she replied, "hey, huckleberry."


End file.
